Hiking With #Socalsteemit: East Fork Cleanup
Want to experience true bliss? How about meeting up with Steemians and hiking to a waterfall!
Ready for action: @CSUSBgeochem, @derekrichardson, my #burnerfam, Gulay, and of course, my trusty canine Brisket. We hit the East Fork of the San Gabriel River at about 9:30 am.
The river had a good flow after a bit of rain. This route upstream to the falls and back includes 16 crossings!
Our fearless leader, @derekrichardson. He knows all the mountain lore, from gold rush history, to edible wild plants, to the habits of the Bighorn.
Our path wound 5 miles along the rocky sides of the river, surrounded by the biggest yucca specimen I have seen.
Stone staircases assist us to climb upstream.
The strong current and over-the-knee depth makes river crossing exciting! For this first one, Brisket required a little extra shove from @CSUSBgeochem to launch. After that, he forded like an old hand.
I am very pleased with how my trail runners and pricey "Darn Tough" socks handle hiking in wet conditions. The sole protection is absolutely necessary going over rough river cobblestones, yet the mesh uppers drain quickly, and quality socks prevent blisters.
Entering Sheep Mountain Wilderness
Giant Live Oaks punctuate the scenery. This one must be a couple hundred years old!
We also saw a number of very rustic folks prospecting for gold. They rough it out here in the wilderness with primitive tents and their gold digging and panning gear. My phone camera was tucked away for most of the hike, though, so no portraits of their grizzly mugs.
As the canyon narrowed, our guide directed us into a tributary tumbling over large boulders. We scrambled up to paradise!
Devil's Gulch Falls...are HEAVENLY!
We pulled up a seat at the falls and scarfed down our lunches.
Gazing out in the distance, my soul fills with peace and a quiet joy.
Soon enough, it is time to descend from this gorgeous grotto.
Visitors to East Fork like to drag out a bunch of gear, and then drop it in the wilderness rather than leaving no trace.
Luckily, good people like @derekrichardson trekked out and bundled it up, lugging out 23 garbage bags full last weekend! There was still more than enough left to weigh us down for the return hike.
Ok, everyone, virtue signal for the camera!
My bagful was small, but as heavy and awkward to haul as a toddler.
Together, we summoned every reserve of strength and hauled out a significant amount of unsightly trash.
Along the way, the residents of Sheep Mountain Wilderness showed their gratitude with a photo op.
There is nothing like the happy exhaustion of a day spent doing good in nature. Good company, good deeds, and good memories!
Although my friend Gulay declares that she will never accept another hiking invitation from me after getting this wet and sore, I know she enjoyed her day in the wild with #socalsteemit. I wonder if we managed to convince her to join the blockchain?
Thank you so much for joining us on our heavy duty #Walkwithme! To me, this was an epic meetup. I really had a great time getting to know Derek and Larry better, and it was very rewarding to introduce another member of my #burnerfam to Steemit, not by spamming her online, but by literally getting her feet wet.
I look forward to the next #socalsteemit hiking meetup in two weeks! Maybe I will see you there!
Love,Cat
@creationofcare
Excellent photos @creationofcare! I had lots of fun. I'm looking forward to more hikes.
Me too! Thanks for leading the way. I doubt I would have plunged through the river so much without your awesome guidance.
Awesome hiking group! Such a beautiful waterfall
with the moss and all. Really a cool thing to haul
out trash! It's sad trash has to be hauled out.
Now ancient discarded items are pretty neat,
before the age of plastic and what nots.
Creek crossings are my favorite! Was the water
real cold? The third photo from the bottom with
the yucca crown around your head is just so
beautiful and you also :-)
Wish I could join you! Happy trails!
Not sure I've asked, what breed is Brisket?
Hi there @shasta 😻
Even though I knew we were going to this waterfall and had seen images of it, nothing prepares you for the awe and wonder when you scramble up to it in person.
It is funny how trash from yesteryear is interesting, but new trash is yuck, isn't it? In all mining boom and bust regions, people just drop their stuff and ditch it! This area is still constantly prospected, and the transition to plastic waste in our modern age is sadly evident. We did see some ruins from last century, however. Gulay took a pic of this fireplace suspended above the river:
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Oh yes, that water is cold! To me, though, once wet, it is no big deal to dive in again.
Wish we could hike together too, I think it will happen some day, I don't know why.
Brisket is a rescue so we aren't sure, but he has almost every trait of a Dutch Shepherd minus standup ears. The Dutch Shepherd club on facecrack accepted him as one of their own when I shared pics. He is different from every other dog I have ever known, he has a military instinct!
Blessings to you and yours!
Amazing trip!
It was, I look forward to exploring the area further!
I love that you all got together , went on a hike AND left the scenery in better shape then when you found it... Reading this post made my day! Wish I was there <3
Fjording rivers... I like :)
I hear you two got wet hiking recently, too. W00t!
haha. Yeah im going to put a post up today about it. This river we crossed was a baby in comparioson to this one